Improvement in sewing-machine for button-holes



4 sheets-sheet 1;

G. B. WOODRUFF' & G. BROWNING BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 97,014. Patented Nov. 16, 1869.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. B. WOODRUFP 8: G.-BROWNING. BUTTON 1101.2 SEWING MACHINE.

No. 97,014. Patented Nov. 16, 1869.

4 Sheets-Sheet 8. G. B. WOODRUFP 8:; G. BROWNING.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MAGHINB.

No. 97,014. Patented Nov. 16, 1869.

C q o H 4. w m r XE] l 4 SheetsSheet 1.

G. B. WOODR'UFP & G. BROWNING. BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 97.014. Patented Nov. 16, 1869.

expansion of plamping-jaws of peculiar C(Il1St1llGtl0Il,WhlCll,

. quired of the attendant of UNITED STATES PATEN GEORGE BALDWIN WOODRUFFAND GEORGE BROWNING, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE SINGE.

OF NEW YORK CITY.

'1. MAN UFAGTURING- COMPANY,

IMPROVEMENT lN SEWING-MACHINE'FOR BUITON-HOLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 97,014, datedNovembor'lfi, 1869.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GEORGE BALDWIN 'Woonnnrrand GEORGE Bnowrune, both of ()heapside, in the city of London, England,

firmly in the clamp which presents it to the action of the needle; and,when requisite, we propose to expand the cut hole by the lateral anupper and lower pair of under all circumstances, will impart therequisite pressure to the work.

Hitherto the work. has been prepared for this class of machines bycutting the button holes required to besewed, by a punch or otherwise,before placing the work onthe table of the machine, and it was thenrethe sewing-machine to adjust the holes, and the several thicknesses ofcut fabric composing the work, to a central position in the clamp. Thisadjustment requires great care and precision, as, if carelessly done,the stitching would be a failure and require unpicking.

Moreover, the opening of the hole to allow of the free passage throughit of the needle has hitherto, when performed, the upper layer of thecloth only moving with the h teraliyexpanding clampin g-jaws, and theconsequence was a defective edge on the face of the work.

The above-named improvement of cutting the button holes whilethe work isclamped and in position for sewing, we should remark, applies tobuttonhole sewing machines generally; "but the improvement in theexpandin gclamp has reference to the construction of clamp used in whatis known as the Union button-hole and embroidery machine.

attempted, been imperfectly In illustrating that part of our inventionwhich relates to the cutting of the button;

holes in 85th, we will first explain the manner of carrying it out, byreference to. the Union button-hole and embroidering machine, patentedin England, March 20, 1865, No. 7 7 6, and we will then, as a furtherexample, show the manner of adapting the cutting apparatus to the'Woodruii' button-hole sewing-machine, patented in England 4 In Sheet Iof the accompanying drawings, Figure'l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section, of so much of an improved Union button-hole and embroidering machine as will serve to explain the nature ofour improvements in the cutting of buttonholes. In Sheet II, Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the said machine. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, andFig. at is a plan view, of the'expanding-clamp, for opening out orexpanding the cut button-hole. taken in the line 3 4 of Figi 4.

A is the table of the machine; 13, the standard and bracket-arm,carrying at its front end the reciprocating guide-box O, in which theneedle-bar 0 works, as usual. I) is the throatplate, which carries thework under the needle and turns it, by the aid of a feed wheel and camgrooves, so that a round end may he sewed, as will-be well understood byall persons familiar with the Union button-hole machine. Upon this plateD (see Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the expanding-clamp for holding the work ismounted, and the plate is also provided with adjustable guides, forfacilitating the adjustment of the work in the clamp.

Supposing it to be intended to adapt the cutting apparatus to a machinealready coustructed, we cut a hole in the table A to re ceive a block,G,Whl0li projects upward through the table, and is made fast thereto byscrews.

On the top of this block we mount a swiveiblock, a.

To the lower part of the block a we hinge a lever, E, which carries atits free end an adjustable punch or cutter, I), (see Fig. 2,) by

preference corresponding in form and size to the largest button-holedesired to be out. This lever, which constitutes the movable stock of25th of July, 1866, No.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section I pressure ofthe pnnch.

the cutter b, is formed with a tail-piece, e, at its hinged end. Itcarries at about the middle of its 'len gth a link, F, that projects upthrough a hole formed for that purpose in the table A of the machine.This link is slotted or forked at its upper end to receive a lever, E,which is hinged to the'upper or swivel part a, of the block or bracket(1. This lever J is fitted with a remomble c11tting-block,b, (shown bestat I Fig. 2 and is intended to act in concert with the table A isslotted, to allow the cutter to.

move up to the under side of the work, and, for the like reason, thefeed-wheel D,-which imparts the transverse motion to the clamp carryingthe work, is also slotted.

The object of mounting the lever E on a swivel-block is to enable it toturn slightly as the lever'dcscends, and thus enable the lever] to bringits cutting-block b down into the true {position upon the work, orimmediately above the part which is to be acted upon by the punch orcutter, the overhanging needle-guide box not admitting of the levermoving down in a direct vertical line onto the work.

The upper lever is depressed by means of a' handle-Gr, and, by reason ofthe tail-pieces e and 0' being brought into contact on the depression ofthe upper lever, they'will act the one on the other, so that there ,willbe a s'ympathetic action between the-levers, the lower -one rising withits cutter to punch. the button hole, while the upper one descends totake the The forked link F is not secured rigidlyto the lower lever,butit is held i'nv position by stops f and f which leave it' free tooscillate with the movements of the lower lever. This link F is notchedat its upper end at f to form a shoulder, against which bears aface-canny,

forming part of the fulcrumend of the handle G. This handle is carriedbyand turns on fulcrum-pin secured to the upper lever. By

turning-this handle on its fulcrum-pin, when th e lever has been broughtdown to the posi- ,tion for the cam to engagejin the notch of the linkF, the cam will draw the two levers together-uptil the requisite nip ofthe work is obtained betweenthe punch or cutter and the cutting-block,to insure the cutting of the but ton-hole without any strain being' putupon the sewing-machine proper.

When the nipis taken ofi', the button-hole will be found to be cut inthe exact spot required. .1 The upper lever is then to be raised f outof the way, an elastic cord or spring, 11, being employed for thepurpose, and the'lower lever, being relez sed, will descend by its ownweight, and rest upon a stop, h, supported by an elastic bracket-arm, h,aflixed to the under side of the table, clear of the sewing mechanism,as shown by the dottedlines in Fig. ,2.

The button-hole has now to be expanded by the means hereafter'described;and, the sewing mechanism being set in action,'theneedle 1 will carryits thread down below the work, the looper 2, Fig. 2?, will seize theloop of the needle-thread, and the loop-opener will expand it, ready forthe needle on its next descent to enter the expanded loop of its ownthread, and thus form the well-known buttonhole stitch.

To insure the proper action of the parts, and

to prevent the needle from striking the looper and loop-opener, (anoccurrence which is not unfrequent in the Union button-hole ma'chine,)we modify the form of the-throat and the guidebar, as shown in Sheet IV,and hereinafter de scribed.

By turning aside the stop h, Fig. 2, the lever E will be free to dropdown and bring the cutter to a. position more accessible than the dottedposition of Fig. 2, for removingand replacing it, when that is required.7

It should beremjarked that if the lever E is fitted with a punch orcutter suitable for cut-' tin g thelargest bu tton-holes required, asabove intimated, the length of out can be regulated to suit the work inhand by changing the cuttin g-bloek b and inserting a'longeror shorterone for the punch or'cutter will only act upon so much of the work as issubjected to the nip of the punch or'cutter I) and cutting-block b.

To prevent the rise of the punch when the opening in thefeed-wheel D forthe passage of the cutter is not in position for: the cutter to act, thelever B is fitted with a stop-pin, at,

which, when the openingin the feed-wheel is.

brought into coincidence with a similar openf ing in the table, or is inposition for the cut to be made, will rise through a small hole made inthe wheel to receive it but when this wheel D is not in position the pin0* will, if the lever is raised, strike against the wheel and arrest theupward movement of the cutter. Q v y A modification of theabove-described cutting apparatus is shown in side, elevation at Fig.6,and in plan view at Fig. 7, Sheet III. In this arrangement we employonly one lever, E, which constitutes the movable stock for the cutter;and, inlieu of the second lever for bringing thecutting-block onto thework,

we provide a stationary steel sliding blockhaving a cutting-edge,whiclnacting-with the cutter carried by the lever, will cut thebuttonhole after the manner ota pair of scissors.

The lever orcutter=stock E is hinged'on a swivel-plate secnre'glto thetable A of the ehine,to permit of its swinging laterally-into position;In the plate D and'across the mid dle, of the plate for nearly its wholelength we form a groove, with guides in its parallel sides to receivethe steel sliding block'E, which, as the plate 1) is rotated in theworking of the machine, is brought into contact with the stationarythroat-plate, around which the plate rotates, and through which theneedle strikes. lly thus being; brought into contact with the throat thesliding block is pushed back, leaving the plate 1) free to be advancedto its rotatin center. The readjustment ot'the sliding block l is to beeltectei-l by hand.

13y reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the cutting-edge on theblock E is formed by cutting a slanting longitudinal groove along; theface of the block, and a cutter of the requi' site length being fittedto the lever, the pressing down of the lever will insure a shearing;cutot' the length of the button-hole desired. (his form of cutter willbest suit the cutting of button-holes in linen, no rounded end being, ingeneral, required in that class of work. For giving the pressurerequisite to cut the hole, the cam 5 operated by its hand-lever G, asbefore described, will be used. The notched slotted arm or link iconnected to the lower lever, and used to take the pressure of the camy, is, in this case, bolted to the table A of the machine, and the depthof the vertical slot serves to determine the limit of depression of thelever l1 andits cutter. The pressure of the moving cutter will, in thiscase, be sustained by the table of the machine, which will require to hemade proportionately strong to bear the pressure.

At Figs. 8, 9, and 10, Sheet III, a further modification of ourbutton-hole-eutting apparatus is shown, the same being adapted to a\Voodrult' button-hole sewing-machine in illustration of itsapplicability to button-hole sewing-machines generally. Fig. 8 is a sideelevation of so much of the machine as will serve to explain theimprovement, the table being; shown in section. Fig. l) is an end viewof the same, and Fig. 10 is a plan view of the part of the table wherethe teeding-plate is situated.

in this adaptation the cutter b is carried by a lever, 15, whichconstitutes the movable stock for the cutter, and is mounted on afulcrumpin above the table.

Pivoted to the lever or cutter-stock E is a hand-lever, (l, having aforked cam-shaped termination, g, the curved prongs of which, when thelever is depressed, are intended to take onto a pair of bowls, 9,carried by a standard, g", that projects up through a hole made in thetable A; and draw down the cutter onto and press it through the work.The standard 1 is securely bolted to the under side of the table. Adovetail groove is cut in the table in a line with the i'eedplate i, toreceive abrass plate, It, which supports the work while the button-holebeing cut and takes the pressure ot the cutter. m is the presser-foot,tormed with a sutiiciently wide slot to allow for the lateral motion ofthe needle, which motions are required, as is well known, to form thebutton-hole stitch. It may be here remarked that the operation ofopening the button-hole preparatory to sewing, which is next to hedescribed, is not required when light goods are being operated upon.

ly reference to Figs. 5; and 4, sheet ll, it will be seen that there islined to the top face of the plate 1) a casting-,1), which is T-shapedin plan view, and to which are connected the ex mnding-jaws l. l of theclamp for holding: the work while being operated upon. The forward partof this casting, or that which connects with the plate 1), is madehollow and ol a cylindrical form, to receive a vertical plug or pin, (1.This pin projects through a hole in the plate l) and enters thecam-groove which governs the motions of the plate as it is driven andcaused to rotate around or to slide over the throatpla-te bel'orcmentioned. The pin d is kept down by the pressure of a coiled spring,which surrounds the pin in the cylindrical box, and it is raised for thepurpose of readjusting or shifting the position of the plate on thetable of the machine by applying the hand to the knob :1 a llixed to theupper end of said pin; or the pin may be raised by applying a rock-leverto the under side of said knob, as represented at d in the drawings,Figs. 3 and 4. The jaws i l are carried by arms 1 ,1nade of steel, andof such term as will enable them to yield to pressure put on their inneredges, and open or expand latorally, and close again when the pressureis removed. The jaws I. l are hung loosely on these arms, to allow ot'the jaws adjusting themselves to inequalities in the thickness of thework. A raised jaws enters a slot made in the extremities of the arms,and a cross-pin secures the connection of the parts. The arms are formedof one piece of metal, and they embrace a vertical cam, K. Forconnecting the arms to the casting 1) there isatiixed to the under sideof the cross or coupling piece I a bloek,-which enters a recess in thecasting, and is secured in place by a transverse pin, c. This couplingis so arranged that the arms will be free to rock vertically, in orderto bring; down the jaws, which they carry, upon the work. They are heldup in the position shown at Fig. 35 by means of a spring, l The lower orfixed jaws, l,for|u part of the elastic arms l, which bear upon theplate I), and, like the arms l", also embrace the cam K, and, extendingback to the rear of the casting- .l), are secured thereto by screws.

The cam K issupported in a vertical. posi tion by a cylindrical pin, It,riveted-to the plate 1), and it receives an axial motion from a shortlever attached thereto. The upper end of the cylindrical pin isflattened, and it is embraced by asplit snail-cam, L, which is termedwith a handdever, as shown at Fig. This cam bears upon asaddle-piece,i', which is slot-- ted to enable the flattened extension of the pin 7;to pass through it, and it rests upon the upper elastic arms, l.

\Vhen, therefore, the cam L is turned so as to bring its increasingradius to bear on the saddle-piece t the upper .-.lampingiaws will bedepressed and caused to bear upon the work. The work being thus properlyclamped, the

rib on the baekiol' the cutting of the button-hole is to be efl'ected asbefore explained.

The cam K is now to be turned, so as to give the upper and under jaws alateral-diverging motion simultaneously, and the button-hole cut throughthe several thicknesses composing the work will thus be properlyexpanded or opened, ready for the vertical needle to enter it and work aline of stitches around the edges of the hole.

' In order to insure the proper adjustment of the clamp on the table ofthe machine for submitting thework to the action of the cutteranadjustable plate, (1 Fig. 1, is fitted to the table of the machine,and a hole is made in this plate to receive the pin (1. When, there-'fore, the pin is inserted in the hole of the plate (l andthe plate isadjusted to its proper posi- 'tio1i,-theclamp willbe properly situatedto nponthe table.

The last part of our invention relates to means for preventing theneedle of the Union lnitton-holc machine from striking upon the loopersand breaking them or snapping the needle; also, for insuring the takingup of the loop of the needle-thread by the looper, and the entrance ofthe needle into its own expanded loop, to complete and lock the stitch.

The means for ett'ecting these improvements are shown considerablyenlarged at Figs. 11, 12, 13,- and 14, Sheet 1V.

Fig. 11 shows, in sectional elevation, the throat or hollow projectionof thev table through which the needle strikes, and the needle-guide,looper, and loop-opener in position. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the same.Fig. 13 is a cross-section taken in the line 1 2 of Fig. 12; andFi g. 14is an inverted plan of the pierced portion of the table.

In order that our improvements may be the better understood, we haveshown the present form of the parts in the Union machine, to which ourimprovements refer, and a comparison of these with the new constructionof the corresponding parts will explain the means whereby we are enabledto secure the advantages above indicated.

Fig. 14. shows the cavity in the throat, as constructed previous to ourinvention. This form of cavity allows theneedle, when deflected from itstrue vertical position by reason of its striking through some hard orthick fabric, to pass down, and if bent towar d the'loopers' it willstrike and break them, or will itself be broken.

By filling up the cavity with hard metal to the extent indicated at a,Fig. 14, and inclining the wall of the filling, as shown at Fig. 11, theneedle b 1 cannot strike the looper c or looper-carrier c, for, if bent,it will be deflected by the hard-metal filling, and compelled to clearthe looper in its descent.

As a further security for the needle maintainingits proper verticalposition, the grooved guide-bar d, which the needle passes in'itsdescent, instead'of being made of theform shown at Figs. 11 and 13, hasits grooves extended up to a line with the under face of the table,together with the wall which divides the grooves. This wallprojects'within the line of motion of the looper c, and, beingchamt'ered on both sides, serves as a guide to guide down the needle,and prevent it from deflecting laterally.

The increased projection and extension of the wall-guide will preventthe deflection of the loops formed by the needle-thread, and insuretheir taking up a proper position for the looper c to act upon them.

The needle, as it is moved to and fro by the reciprocation of theguide-box O, to make its descent alternately past and through the edgeof the fabric, strikes alternately on opposite sides of the wall-guidecl, and in doing so it will enter the loop held open by the opener c,and, the loop last formed by the needle being received by the looper,the open loop will be caught by the needle-thread, and the stitch willbe completed with certainty.

Having thus described a machineembodying all our improvements, we claim,as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the followingcombinations of instrumentalities, viz:

1. The combination, in a sewing-machine, of the table thereof, with acutting-blade, to cut the slit for the button-hole, substantially asbefore set forth. l

2. The combination of the table, cuttingblade, and cutting-block withmechanism by which the blade and block are caused to approach each othersimultaneously from opposite sides of the table, substantially as beforeset forth.

3. The combination of the cutting-blade and cutting-block by a link, insuch manner that the strain of cutting and holding for cutting are madeto counteract each other, so that the machine is relieved of the strain,substantially as before set forth.

4. The combination of the cutting-blade and the movable stock thereofwith a handle, by means of which the said stock may be brought rapidlyinto position for cutting, and moved comparatively slowly, but withgreat force, during cutting,substantially as before setforth.

5. The combination of the under jaw of a forked cloth-clamp withoscillating movable jaws, which adapt themselves to variations in thethickness of the fabric, substantially as before set forth.

6. The combination of the forks of the jaws of the cloth-clamp withmechanism for moving said forks apart laterally after the cloth isclamped, so as to spread the button-hole for sewing, substantially asbefore set forth.

7 The combination of the forked clothciamp with the blade for cuttingthe cloth, so that the cloth may be out while it is clamped,substantially as before set forth.

8. The combination of the table-plate of the sewing-machine, the forkedclamp for holding the material, and the blade for cutting it, so thatthe work may be cut in the same clamp in which it is sewed,substantially as before set forth.

9. The combination of the clamp with the feeding mechanism, (for movingit during sewing,) and with a cuttin g-blade arranged at one side ofsuch mechanism by means of a pin, by which the clamp may be securedreciprocally in the proper position relatively to the cutting-blade, andin the proper position relatively to the feeding mechanism,substantially as before set forth.

10. The combination of the needle, carried GEO. B. WOODRUFF. GEORGEBROWNING. Witnesses:

FRED. WALKDEN,

66 Chancery Lane. DANL. FORSHAW,

24 Royal ilrclzmzge, London.

